Between 24 to 28 weeks into your pregnancy, your doctor will ask you to get you glucose screening test done. Gestational diabetes is one of the more common pregnancy complications: up to 10% of pregnant women develop it. Since there aren’t any symptoms, all pregnant women need to be tested.
If you’re in a high risk category, you may have already had glucose screening. You may also have already been asked to get the test if sugar showed up in the urine sample that you leave at every doctor’s visit.
Here’s what happens at a pregnancy glucose screening: you drink a really sugary drink. Some women describe it as tasting like a flat soda pop, and others say it’s like Kool-Aid with way too much sugar put in. Some testing places let you choose the flavor, from choices like orange and lemonade. Other testing facilities just have one type of glucose testing drink.
After you take the drink, you need to wait at the office for an hour. Then, they will draw a blood sample to see how your body handled the glucose.
If you have a high reading from the glucose test, they’ll ask you to come back. Your second test will be a three-hour glucose tolerance test. They’ll probably ask you to fast for 14-hours, have your blood taken, drink the sugary drink, and then have your blood tested every hour, for the next three hours. So make sure to bring your phone to play games on or bring a book! The three-hour glucose tolerance test will show if you for sure have gestational diabetes.
Gestational diabetes can usually be kept in check with diet and exercise. And, for most women, it goes away after they deliver.
